Foreign bank robber says he is from Sierra Leone

JAKARTA (JP): The foreign suspect in Tuesday's bank robbery at the Plaza Indonesia shopping center in Central Jakarta has identified himself as Tunde Boy Sidney from Sierra Leone in West Africa.

He gave a brief identification of himself to reporters at the Central Jakarta police precinct on Wednesday on a piece of paper.

According to the head of the precinct's detectives, Maj. Budiono Sandi, this was the first time the suspect, who police earlier named as Tony Bradley, has disclosed his identity, or notified anyone of the whereabouts of his passport and other travel documents.

"We, the police, still don't know his real identity as he refused to talk at all to us. We will just wait until the wounds to his neck and jaw have healed. He'll probably talk later," Budiono said.

To the media, the suspect was still tight-lipped about his background and the motives for the afternoon robbery at such a security-tight shopping center.

But he admitted committing the crime alone.

The foreigner on Tuesday attempted to rob a branch of Bank Internasional Indonesia (BII) in the plaza after grabbing a gun, a Colt, from a bank security guard.

He failed to steal any money from the bank but caused panic among employees, shoppers and security guards as he fired the gun into the windows of the bank.

In the meeting with reporters on Wednesday, the suspect -- about 190 centimeters tall, skinny and dark-skinned -- was seemingly unable to open his swollen mouth.

According to officer Budiono, the suspect suffered severe jaw and neck injuries caused by a rubber bullet.

The foreigner could only reply to all the journalists' questions by writing down answers on paper.

Earlier in the meeting, which was held with the permission of the police, the suspected bank robber just stared at the crowd of journalists and plainclothes police officers.

The latter were assigned to safeguard the interview, which was mostly carried out in English.

When asked whether he missed home, his eyes brightened and he nodded.

In his broken writing, the suspect insisted that he was staying at the Laotze Hotel in Central Jakarta here and the current visit was his first to Indonesia.

When pressed further as to whether he was cash strapped, he only nodded his head and repeatedly gestured that he was dizzy.

Officer Budiono said that his men also found several business cards in the foreigner's wallet but admitted that none of the addresses had been checked.

"We have not even checked his status at the Laotze Hotel," the officer said.

After being immobilized by the security guards and soldiers at the scene of crime, the suspect -- who fired off all the five rounds in the gun -- was then badly beaten by them.

He was admitted to the Cipto Mangunkusumo General Hospital before being detained at the Central Jakarta police precinct, pending further investigation.

In another related development on Wednesday, Eko Sulistyo, an official of the bank, said the amount of the money taken by the suspected robber totaled US$9,100 and Rp 3.362 million in cash.

"The cash has been confiscated by the police as the main evidence," Eko said.

The cash was the amount he demanded when he aimed his gun at a teller.

"As the teller reacted with shock, the suspect approached her desk and took money from the drawer," Eko said, adding that the bank has already resumed service. (emf)